Knowledge Base

Event Tracking

Created: September 22, 2015

/Author:
Adcash Support

Event tracking

Adcash allows you to track the performance of your campaigns for web, mobile web, and in-app traffic through event tracking. Not only can you use it to track campaign performance, but to optimize acquisition channels based on those results.

For each advertising campaign, you need to select what event you would like to track under Event Tracking:

You can integrate any of the following tracking methods to send information about your selected events to Adcash:

• Global postback URL (S2S)

• Campaign HTML pixel

• Hybrid HTML pixel

Tracking information

There are Outgoing macros and Incoming parameters. In order to set up tracking, you are required to use mandatory outgoing macros in order to return the values through incoming tracking methods parameters.

Outgoing macros

Logic Example:

1. You have the following URL: http://domain.com/?aid=29586&clickid={replace_me}&source={replace_me}&customer={replace_me}&timestamp={replace_me}&user_language={replace_me}

2. In this case you need to change the macros which are in bold.

3. So for clickid=[clickid]&source=[zone]&customer=[advertiser]&timestamp=[timestamp]&user_language=[lang]

4. When Adcash directs the visitor to your campaign’s landing page, macros in the URL link will be replaced with their real value.

Time zone passed based on the IP of the click (HTTP_X_GEOIP2_TIMEZONE)

[connection_type]

2

Connection type.

1 – DSL

2 – using Wi-Fi

3 – everything else

[browser]

Chrome

Browser name

[ip]

12.235.245.23

IP address of the device making the ad request.

[platform]

Windows

Platform name

[device_make]

Apple

Manufacturer of Device

Incoming parameters

When you receive the traffic macro [clickid] in your campaign URL, it will be replaced with a numeric value, e.g. 12456789. When the user completes the event, you will need to save the [clickid] value and pass it back to Adcash through the tracking link.

An optional value. It is possible to send Adcash some unique ID from your system that you can use to group your report by.

Example: customer_1234

udid

Unique mobile device ID collected in Application.

Example: E269C15F-C995-4179-B82D-6FB6AB3288B7

The process for setting up a Global Postback URL (S2S) tracking system:

1. Add mandatory [clickid] macro to campaign URL and additional macros that you want to use for optimization purposes.

2. Set the event type that you want tracked for your campaigns (same event type in different campaigns)

3. Create tracking code for required event type

4. Configure the postback URL on your side (landing page, own server or 3rd party tracking tools).

5. Implement all mandatory parameters into tracking code.

Important: If you would like to set up your own tracking server by writing the code that calls the tracking URL when an event is registered on your server, the easiest and most common way is to use cURL in PHP (http://www.php.net/manual/en/curl.examples-basic.php)

Campaign HTML pixel

This tracking method could be used to track one event for one campaign only. It allows you to track actions by inserting a pixel code on the page that confirms successful completion of an event.

Because this method is cookie-based, the pixel is “fired” when an event is generated, and the information is passed back to the Adcash system.

Parameter

Value

An optional value. It is possible to send Adcash some unique ID from your system that you can use to group your report by.

Example: customer_1234

The process for setting up a Campaign HTML Pixel tracking system:

1. Select the event type that you want tracked for the selected campaign.

2. Create Campaign HTML Pixel tracking code for tracked event type.

3. Place the tracking code inside the HTML code of the page that is delivered to the end user’s browser after the event is completed, e.g. a thank you page after registration.

4. Integrate all mandatory parameters as required.

Important: Please ensure that the tracking code isn’t loaded several times for one event (for example in case of page refresh). Also, do not integrate an Adcash tracking code on the same page with integrated tracking codes of other service providers.

Hybrid HTML pixel

As with the Global Postback URL, this tracking method can be used to track the same event type for different campaigns, but with an HTML pixel. Just as with the Campaign HTML pixel, you track events by inserting a pixel code on a special page that confirms successful completion of an event.

2. Set the event type that you want tracked for your campaigns (same event type in different campaigns)

3. Create tracking code for required event type

4. Place the tracking code inside the HTML code of the page that is delivered to the end user’s browser after the event is completed, e.g. a thank you page after registration.

5. Implement all mandatory parameters into tracking code.

Tip: You could save the mandatory variable click ID in your database and replace it dynamically when the tracking code is triggered, OR you could pass the click ID during all steps of user path in your system.

Duration time for tracking methods

When the user clicks on an advertisement, we save the conversion information for 30days by default.

Adcash server response codes

The conversion system will send you response codes that will let you know if everything was done correctly.

List of available codes:

Code

Definition

200

Event recorded, information sent according to standard.

400

Call rejected. Error in one or several mandatory parameters (cid, type or advertiser)

Common Reasons why an Event was not Tracked

Incorrect placement

This is the most common problem. This happens when the placement of an event is triggered outside of the user path or technical implementation does not allow the tracking code to be executed.

Good example: User must activate account via link sent by email, then when he clicks on it, he open “Thank you” page where tracking link is placed.

Bad example: Event triggered on “Thank you for Activation” page, but activation is not required and email with link not sent.

User IPs do not match with campaign Geo Targeting

If the user IP geo does not match the campaign’s geo targeting, then the event will not be tracked. This is important because we don’t track events independent of campaigns.

Therefore, if you want to track more users, just expand campaign Geo Targeting within your tracking settings for each campaign (add required countries).

Good example: User from EE, campaign targeted for EE

Bad example: User from EE, campaign targeted for BG

Event type not selected

When you forget to add “Event tracking” in campaign settings. If nothing is selected, then Adcash will not track any events even if you integrate the tracking system on your side.

Incorrect parameters in tracking code

Event will not be registered in Adcash reports if mandatory parameters are not sent or correct.

For example, the click ID must be saved and passed just as Adcash provided it. No modification of the click ID is allowed. This occurs most often when an advertiser sends a “placeholder” back to Adcash instead.